Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Hosts 70th Academy Graduation And Awards The First Ever Purple Heart

Yesterday evening, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office hosted our 70^th Academy Graduation and celebrated the accomplishments of 15 deputy recruits and three corrections officers. Since July, these 18 recruits have been put through rigorous training, practical scenarios, and written tests to become a Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Deputy or Corrections Officer with Western Tidewater Regional Jail.

During the event, Sheriff Joe Baron recognized the hard work and dedication of the recruits throughout their time in the Academy and thanked them for a job well done.

In addition to the graduation ceremony, we celebrated three retirements, three promotions, and two deputies were awarded, for the first time in the history of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, the Purple Heart.

On July 20, 2022, off-duty NSO Deputy Michalak was involved in a shooting and was shot during an exchange of gunfire. Deputy Michalak responded to the immediate threat to not only himself, but also to his girlfriend. The training he learned during the NSO Training Academy kicked in and allowed him to respond in a manner that reduced the threat and aided him during this incident. Deputy Michalak received the Medal of Valor and the Purple Heart for his actions that night.

On August 5, 2022, while working in a sworn on-duty capacity in the Downtown Norfolk sector, Deputy Ryan Moore was shot during a quadruple shooting. Deputy Moore was acting in a sworn capacity, during a part-time assignment, to serve the citizens of Norfolk to ensure the streets stay safe when he was injured. It is due to his actions and the actions of others that the suspect was apprehended. Deputy Moore received a Meritorious Performance Award and the Purple Heart for his actions that night.

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The Norfolk Sheriff's Office is a values driven organization
committed to public safety, public service, and public trust.